The coconut is packed with medium chain fats that help improve metabolism, stimulate fat burning, reduce inflammation and improve brain function. The health benefits of the pumpkin alone includes the ability to help regulate blood pressure, reduce cancer risk, combat diabetes and boost your immune system to name a few. This recipe allows you to experience the health benefits of these nutrient dense foods without compromising due to added chemicals, preservatives, unhealthy sugars and fats.

So here’s to having dessert first this holiday season without the guilt!

Making the Crust

We LOVE coconut, but not everyone is over the moon for it so in this recipe we decided to use extra virgin coconut oil which has much less of the coconut smell and taste compared to regular coconut oil. If you love the taste of coconut though, then feel free to substitute the extra virgin for regular coconut oil. You want to make sure the coconut oil is nice and firm, if it is runny you can put it in the fridge for a while to firm it up. Your oil should come out in scoops and you should need to use your fork to cut and press through the oil to mix it into the flour.

Since this recipe allows you to bake the crust separately, you will need some pie crust weights to keep the crust from rising during the baking process and I am not talking about a kettle bells… if you don’t have pie weights handy don’t worry about it, you can use some dried beans or rice to fill up the pie crust and hold it in place instead.

The holidays can be a crazy time so if you don’t want to hassle of trying to make the crust the same day as your event, you can make it up to 3 days ahead of time and refrigerate it unbaked and covered in plastic wrap. You can also just purchase a pre-made healthy crust from your local health food store and skip this step and head straight to making the filling.

Step 3: Add in the coconut oil and using a fork cut the coconut into the mixture until it is almost fully mixed in. There may be some small coconut oil chunks or streaks in the mixture, that is fine.

Step 4: Mix in the egg, then using your hands form the mixture into a dough.

Step 5: Place a large sheet of wax paper on the counter, sprinkle it with some almond flour to keep the dough from sticking and put the dough in the middle. Then place another piece of wax paper of the same size on top of the dough so the dough is resting between both pieces of wax paper. Next, begin to roll out the dough. For a 9 inch pie, roll the dough to a 12 inch circle.

Step 6: Remove the wax paper and place the dough into the pie tin. Then place the pie crust in the fridge to cool for at least 1 hour before baking.

Step 7: Once the pie crust is cooled, take a piece of parchment paper (not wax paper) and place it inside the pie and fill the pie 2/3 of the way with your weights (dried beans, pie weights, etc…). Then place your crust in the oven to bake for about 5-6 mins. Once the edges begin to slightly brown it is time to take the crust out.

Step 8: Remove the pie crust weights and parchment paper. Use a fork to puncture a few holes in the bottom of the crust and place it back in the oven for another 5-6 minutes. Just until the bottom of the crust turns a slight brown and is fully cooked. If the edges of your crust are cooking too quickly you can cover just the edges with foil to protect it.

Step 9: Take the crust out of the oven and set out to cool.

Making the Filling

You won’t believe how incredible this high protein, healthy pumpkin pie filling tastes!

Using RX Bar’s Pumpkin Spice Bars as well as their Vanilla Almond Butter as a base for this filling, it is not only good for you, but also packed with flavor. Enjoy the holidays guilt-free this year, and impress your dinner guests with great taste and the surprise reveal when you tell them how healthy it is.

This recipe takes the stress out of one of the trickiest steps in pie baking, trying to bake the crust and the filing together without overcooking or undercooking either one. The crust is made in the oven and the filling over the stove so you can cook each part separately to perfection. You can make the filling up to two days ahead of time and store it in the fridge in an air tight container.

Step 1: Cut your RX Bars into quarters and put them in a food processor. Pulse the food processor until they turn into a grainy powder, about 2 minutes.

Step 2: Add the mixed RX Bars into a medium sized sauce pan. Add the remaining ingredients with the RX Bars and cook on medium low heat for about 10 minutes (until the filling begins to firm up and the eggs are throughly cooked). Stir frequently to prevent scorching.

Step 3: Taste the filling and make any last minute adjustments with the spices and sugar to make it to your liking.

Step 4: Put the filling into your already baked pie crust and chill in the fridge to set and firm at least 3 hours. Best served cold.

Making the Whipped Cream

The temperature guidelines for the whipped cream are crucial. The mixing bowl, coconut milk and mixing whisk must be chilled before making the whipped cream or it will not form into a cream, but more of a liquid. We prefer to use a stand mixer, but a hand mixer or immersion blender will work as well. Remember to put your mixing bowl and whisk in the freezer about 30 minutes before you begin.

Purchase your coconut milk a day ahead of time and store it in the fridge for 24 hours prior to using. Cooling down the can will cause the cream to solidify and rise to the top making it the perfect texture to whip up and help separate the water from the cream. Be sure to purchase whole coconut milk and not the “lite” version.

When you remove the cream from the can, scoop out the cream from the top of the can leaving behind all the liquid. You want the cream to stay firm so it will make nice peaks and not get watered down. Set the coconut water aside for adding to your smoothie or other meals.

There are several healthy sweetener options for this whipped cream, we made 8 versions and taste testers preferred the recipe listed below, but you can easily swap out the honey for pure maple syrup, the coconut sugar for stevia, take out the vanilla if you don’t like vanilla, etc… Also the sweetness level for this recipe is entirely up to you. Once the coconut cream is whipped you can add as little or as much sweetener as you want to get your desired taste. The recipe below is modestly sweet, a great place to start, but feel free to add more or less honey or coconut sugar to make it just right for you. Start slowly when adding in the flavors till it is perfect.